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20000 US dollars for that car is what I would call well bought. You did not get the deal of the century, but you also did not get taken for a ride either. I think you paid market price for a well loved and cared for first gen Z car. You could have spent more and got less, and you could have spent less and maybe got as much or more (if you were crazy lucky) I would not lament the purchase price at all. If the car is well sorted and all 'there' you paid a fair price for the car. Neither the sell nor yourself should have any bad feelings from the deal. There is always the potential of finding a better 'deal', but you had very specific requirements, and with every requirement you held to (good for you by the way), the chancing of finding that 1 in a million deal dropped. I congratulate you on a well bought car and I think you will be happy for many years to come.

i'm excited that this thread has come back to life - very cool! your test setup reminds me of those skids they use to test thrust on rocket engines ;} the electronics are such a pain, mainly why i went backwards to carbs because every time i got it right something else would bugger up and i get cross eyed chasing wires...

It means who has the most like-able posts.

DOT 5.0 or DOT 5.1? There is a big difference. DOT 5.0 is a silicone fluid. It does not absorb water and does not damage paint. Thus it is good for Antique vehicles and certain Military applications. However... it has very poor compressability. Silicone fluids don't absorb water, but they do create air bubbles when compressed and then released. That makes them unsuitable for any form of competition and most forms of highway driving, particularily in Mountainous Terrain. They also cannot be used on vehicles with ABS. DOT 5.0 must also be thoroughly flushed and can NOT be mixed with any DOT3, DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluids. Generally not recommended these days for anything but Antique vehicles stored in Museums. Bottom line: It's a good storage fluid...it's not a good brake fluid. DOT 5.1 are a polyalkylene glycol ether and borate ester combination with higher boiling points than DOT 4 and a lower viscosity to make it more compatible with ABS systems. Many Auto manufacturers now recommend DOT 5.1 fluids. It can be safely mixed with DOT3 and DOT 4. DOT 5.1 can NOT be mixed with DOT 5.0 Here's a good explanation of the various types of DOT brake fluids. http://www.advancepetro.com/differentbrakefluid.htm http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/brakefluids.html Edit: I use WilWood 570 race fluid ( DOT 3 ) in most of my vehicles. As do many of our local Datsun 510 members. No issues. Castrol LMA is also a good DOT 3/4 fluid

This would be an easy choice for me. I would sell both. I would then find a 240Z sleeper lurking around with a nice body. Then you really got something worth more than the other 2 put together. And then only 2 Z cars. A win win situation.

KiraK. You asked for opinions. I believe other posters have pointed to good reference material. I believe the Pictured Z did start with correct 638 black pearl metallic paint. Due to the repaint however, I don't believe you will be able to prove it started with a dealer applied Sports Appearance Package without additional documentation. As the Z sits now, it's difficult to tell if the repaint is black pearl metallic or just black. Regardless as noted the stripes are incorrect. The sunshade appears to be correct based on the curvature of the blades and locking brackets. The dual racing mirrors appear correct. The part numbers are inside the base of the mirrors so bring tools if you plan to check. Rims as noted are incorrect. The five speed and AC are desirable, but other condition issues will be a restoration challenge.

Good article to read from Janurary 2009, http://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2009/01/In-the-Black---1978-Datsun-280Z/1749113.html What to pay 1978 Datsun 280ZLow: $3,500Average: $6,500High: $10,000

Man this Z looks amazing. Excellent work on the car..